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Ducky
'''Ducky' (a.k.a. Devoted Ducky) is a character in the Land Before Time films. She is a Parasaurolophus,The Land Before Time DVD which is called a "big mouth" or a "swimmer" by the characters in the films. She is well known for frequently saying "Yep, yep, yep" and "Nope, Nope, Nope". Character Ducky has a very sweet, innocent personality. She often tries to make peace during group conflicts, and is very protective of her friends, despite being the second smallest member of the group. This is especially true with her adopted brother, Spike, whom she tries to protect from any conflict she can. She has an extremely strong bond with her mother, and seems to have inherited many of her maternal instincts. She does not express anger very often, and in fact, she is so unused to being angry that in the eighth movie she had to ask Cera for advice on how to be mad. She is also very naive. Although she is sensitive to others' feelings, she can be easily manipulated to believe that some things may be right when in fact they might lead to trouble. This is shown in the first The Land Before Time movie when Cera convinced her that a certain route to the Great Valley was easier than the way up a mountain of loose rocks. This in fact lead to danger, as Ducky and Spike ended up lost, and almost swallowed up by lava. Friends Ducky met Littlefoot first, in the original film, and as such they have developed a strong bond, though not nearly as strong as her friendship with Petrie, which seems on the borderline of a crush. She and Cera at times seem to be confidants, like in The Big Freeze (mentioned above). Family Ducky has a mother and father, fourteen biological siblings, and an adopted brother named Spike. Her parents appear to be very accepting of other species, as they readily accepted Spike (who is a Spiketail, or a Stegasaurus) into their family. Ducky's mother is a recurring character in the films and in the television show, but her father has only ever been seen in the background and has never had even a speaking role. As stated on the Internet Movie Database, fans have sometimes questioned if the father's reclusive role is because Ducky's original voice actress and her mother were murdered by her father. None of Ducky's siblings have had any speaking roles either, save for occasional mixed laughter and chattering while at play. Interestingly, Ducky stated in The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock that there were thirteen hatchlings in the nest when she was born, however, in the original movie, there were a half dozen eggs. Later, in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, another litter of eggs hatched at the end of the film. Catchphrase Ducky's most notable catchphrase is saying "Yep yep yep!" or "Nope nope nope!" whenever agreeing or disagreeing with something. This catchphrase earned considerable fame after her original voice actress, Judith Barsi, was murdered. On Barsi's gravestone, the affirmative version of the catchphrase was used in the quote at the bottom of the engravement: "Our Concrete Angel - Yep Yep Yep". The phrase was also used on her mother's marker, which reads "The wind beneath JEB's (Judith's initials) wings - Yep Yep Yep".Judith Barsi's memorial website Species confusion Though Ducky is consistently identified in official material, including the official website, as a Parasaurolophus, there seems to have been much confusion over what she is, by critics, reviewers and fans alike. Fans have pointed out that the character more closely resembles a Saurolophus, a species closely related to Parasaurolophus. It can also be noted that other crested dinosaurs who more closely resemble the estimated designs of Parasaurolophus can be seen in the background in the films and TV series. This is similar to the confusion over the Velociraptors in the film Jurassic Park, which are explicitly referred to as Velociraptors but more closely resemble Deinonychus. She was also referred to as a "perky, amphibious thing" by Hal Hinson of the Washington Post,Review on The Land Before Time by Hal Hinson, Staff Writer of the Washington Post, on November 18, 1988: www.washingtonpost.com Retrieved on March 14th, 2008. and was incorrectly referred to as a platypus in the book, The Animated Films of Don Bluth.www.cataroo.com/DBland Retrieved on January 23rd, 2007. Trivia Although Ducky rarely uses contractions, there are times when she does in musical numbers and sometimes when not in musical numbers. References External Links *''Ducky at the Internet Movie Database'' *Ducky's fanlisting. Category:Main Characters Category:Swimmers Category:Land Before Time characters